I Think I'm Happy
by ihidemycrazy
Summary: Takes place after All My Children, Klaus abides to Caroline's wishes and leaves her alone. Caroline recognizes that she has feelings for him, and tries to prove it to him. Klaroline. snippets of Rebekah x Damon
1. And So It Begins

And So It Begins

Klaus laid on his back and tossed a crumpled drawing of Caroline up and down, flung up with one hand, caught with the other. He sighed; he hadn't realized how much he would miss the blonde vampire Barbie.

_Well, that's over now, _he thought. _If she wants me to leave her alone, then I will. She's just a baby anyways._

Rebekah sauntered in, interrupting his thoughts.

"Another night out with the Salvatore boy, I assume," Klaus said with a raise of his eyebrow. "Aren't you sick of him yet? You rarely keep toys this long, my dear."

"I need something from him," Rebekah replied haughtily.

Klaus jumped up and covered his ears. "No more! I really do not wish to know about the itch only Damon Salvatore can scratch. I've had my fill of vulgarity for the week."

"God, Niklaus, I'm not as loose as you appear to believe. I'd explain my plans, but it's only need-to-know and you simply don't. Go back to your broken heart, I've got work to do, brother," Rebekah retorted on her way to her room.

Klaus laid back down and resumed his paper tossing game.

_My heart is not broken. I do not allow myself to care that much. _

He continued with his inner-analysis about how he will no longer care for Caroline and invest himself in some murder and mayhem. The only problem was that he could think of no one he had an agenda against whose death would not inadvertently harm Caroline. Killing either of the Salvatore brothers would send Elena into a downward spiral of depression, (even though he'd just be assisting the girl by forcing her choice between the two) and would put Caroline through a lot of stress and hardship. Plus, if he killed Damon, Rebekah might have his head on a pike, because for all her excuses, she seemed to actually care for the boy.

_Silly girl, Damon will never feel for you what he feels for Elena. Love is a weakness, remember?_

Klaus also didn't feel like killing a random stranger today for it wouldn't give the intended satisfaction. Having run through all plausible options for entertainment, Klaus realized that for him, boredom led to murder and maybe his mother was right; they turned themselves into monsters once they shut out their humanity.

This brought him back to thoughts of Caroline. Caring for her had really changed him into a bit of a softie. In some ways, he resented her for that, but he also realized that she hadn't asked him to change. He changed to be someone that could deserve her affection. Maybe that's why he was so crushed in her rejection; he had hoped he had improved enough for her.

_Darling, I can only change so much before I lose myself, and I would never feel as though I earned your love unless there was still a small part of my old self remaining. _

With all his musing on Caroline, love, and life, it made Klaus wonder what the lovely girl was doing at this very moment…

* * *

><p>Caroline was just doing a bit a retail therapy. She had spent an hour in the first store and had walked out with some great new tops and a gorgeous pair of jeans. She was floating on the shopping high, loving life without a care in the world. On her way down the street, she spotted one of her new favorite shops- an antique jewelry store that had some of the most beautiful pieces she had ever seen.<p>

With a glance at the bracelet around her wrist that had come from Klaus, Caroline decided to enter the shop and find a new bracelet. She didn't need any reminders of Klaus floating around, no matter how beautiful they were.

She determinedly browsed the bracelet case, hoping to find something to top her gift. To her surprise and disappointment, she couldn't find anything that surpassed Klaus's bracelet in elegance and fit. She did find a few nice pairs of earrings and a lovely necklace, but no bracelet. She decided to move on with her shopping adventure and pay no mind to Klaus.

Caroline entered a newer store that she had never been to before and immediately decided that this was her retail soul mate. Everything was stunning and there was never a shortage in her size. As she tried on dress after dress, a common question she would mentally ask herself was "Would Klaus like this?" before shoving it away in favor of more neutral thoughts.

One silver dress was the most magnificent piece of clothing Caroline had ever seen. Without even glancing at the price tag, she tried it on. It fit her perfectly. It was loose and tight in all the right places, it wasn't whorish, but it showed enough skin that Caroline felt comfortable and sexy all in one. The masterpiece of a dress was made for her.

Finally gathering the courage to see how much this would be depleting her savings, Caroline checked the price tag. To her immense pleasure and delight, it was seventy-five percent off, making it only twenty five dollars. Her happiness could be seen on her face, she was positively glowing. Looking in the mirror, she thought to herself, _Klaus would love me in this. _

That made her stop short. _What?_

She had no idea where that came from. She couldn't even tolerate Klaus, let alone care what he liked to see her wear. He was an evil original, who had no qualms about killing the people she loved. Had no qualms about killing HER a few months ago, if she remembered correctly. Sure, he was probably the most gorgeous man she had ever seen, but most evil villains tend to be incredibly hot, so why was she pleasantly surprised when she had first met him? And then he said he _fancies _her. Who even talks like that anymore? Yeah, he was a billion years old, but he should really try to keep up with the times.

She kept on with this inner rant for about five more minutes and was only stopped when a clerk came into the dressing room corridor to see if Caroline needed anything else. Quickly shaken out of her inner monologue, she replied that she was just finishing up and started to change out of the dress and back into the clothes she came there in. The blonde decided to buy the silver dress, along with a few other choice pieces, and left the store.

Having spent her budget for the day, Caroline thought she should take the long way home to clear her thoughts of Klaus. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, and the extended period of alone time allowed her to go into more detail about Klaus's hot body, which were thoughts that could never be forgotten.

* * *

><p>Klaus still couldn't seem to make up his mind about Caroline. Should he simply give up and blame it on fate, or should he hold on to hope, wait it out, and let her come to him? There were so many options and he just could not find the right choice.<p>

One thing was for sure: he'd have to protect his heart against her. Caroline knows how he feels (maybe felt?) about her, so she could use it against him and hurt him if it suited her needs.

_She would never do that, _Klaus thought fiercely.

_She almost did… _replied a tiny nagging voice in his head.

_The look on her face proved she didn't plan on what happened. She was disappointed in my lack of trust and frightened by my outburst of anger. She could never truly harm someone out of spite; she's much too good for that. _Klaus quietly answered the voice in his head, which seemed to shut it up.

But closing his heart to Vampire Barbie would be for the best. He never wanted to feel like he did when she rejected him ever again. Thinking of her only distracted him from important matters and made him an easy target. She hadn't given him any reason to believe she was even slightly interested in him, and he still fell head over heels for her. He cannot allow himself to become so absorbed it problems of the heart because it could cost him what he has worked his entire existence for.

While continuing his musing on Caroline, Klaus wandered the hallways of his home and realized how little it felt like a home. Naturally, it was extravagant and cost tons of money to design and furnish, but there were next to no signs that anyone resided there. It was like when you go to view a house for sale and it's been beautifully laid out by experts, but you can still tell no one actually lives there. It didn't have that lived-in vibe of a true home.

Klaus wasn't sure why he was surprised to find this during his exploration, the only homey home that he had ever had was before this whole vampire mess began. He wondered if being alive was an essential part to having a house be a home. This led him to thoughts on Caroline's room and how it was surging with life and effervescence, which made him draw the conclusion that the undead could have homes just as humans.

_God, why do I care? As soon as my business is settled I'll leave this place with no regrets. Little voice, consider this my official start to blocking out feelings. _

* * *

><p>When Caroline finally returned home, she threw her newly bought items in front of her closet and plopped down on her bed. She still expected the exhaustion that used to accompany these all-day shopping trips and felt a longing for the simpler days where the most important things were clothes and boys.<p>

She sighed. She had only recently grown accustomed to the new aspects of her life and had accepted them, but that didn't mean she never had nostalgia for the pre-undead stage of her life.

Caroline decided that she would put away her new purchases to clean up that corner of the room; she could never handle much clutter. Of course, the first thing she pulled out was the beautiful silver dress.

_The Klaus dress, _Caroline thought to herself.

She didn't know why she felt that this dress was particularly to Klaus's liking. It made her look ravishing; most of the opposite sex would enjoy this dress. Tyler would very obviously appreciate it, in his kind of jock-chauvinistic way, assuming she had only bought the dress because he would like her in it. It would never occur to him that she may have been thinking that it made her feel great when she bought it, or that his name hadn't even come up in her thoughts until hours later.

That was the best part about Klaus (besides his god-like beauty); he assumed Caroline did nothing just to please him, he understood that much of what she does is to help her friends and family. He was similar in that way.


	2. Hearts Beat

**Hey y'all! This is my first fanfiction and I'm already astounded by the immediate response! It's so great; I love reviews and constructive criticism, so please share. :) Already love you all! XOXO  
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* * *

><p>Hearts Beat<p>

_Ba-bum. Ba-bum. _Klaus was "hunting" and he could hear this girl's heartbeat from across the room. The girl had long, blonde hair and he could feel the self-loathing rolling off her. She wasn't precisely pretty, but she would suit his purposes.

He sauntered over just oozing sex appeal. Klaus caught the girl's eye and instantaneously heard her heart beat faster. Oh, how he loved that he had that effect on women.

_You don't have that effect on Caroline, _the little voice in his head retorted.

He quickly shook his head to expel the little voice and all thoughts of the young vampire. He was no longer supposed to feel, so he wouldn't.

By now he had completed his approach to the girl. She was looking at him with a slight bit of confusion and he realized she had probably asked a question or introduced herself all whilst he was thinking. He quickly compelled her to meet him outside in a few moments; there was no need for pleasantries, so why bother?

The girl immediately made her way out the door to meet him in the alley, but Klaus decided to wait for a few minutes before following her. There was no chase and no effort put into this, he had to find little ways to make it interesting. How long would she wait outside? Would she eventually get fed up and leave? When he finally did join her, would she say anything about how long it took him to meet her? Of course he knew none of this would actually happen. She was compelled; she'd wait, perfectly still, for him for however long he told her to.

Realizing the dreariness of this eternal game he played, Klaus decided just to go feed and get it over with so he could return home and not have to be around a bar full of drunk and happy people. He quickly exited and found the girl in the alley exactly where he told her to be. The greatest part about compulsion is that the girl couldn't comprehend the danger she was in. Being in a dark alley at this hour: she was basically asking to be raped and murdered. Lucky for her, tonight she was only a food source.

Klaus quickly assessed the completion of his compulsion and deemed it passable for the current situation. He focused on her pulse for only a moment before he was hit with it. The moment before touchdown was the best part, in Klaus's opinion. All the anticipation and bloodlust lead up to this single moment where everything you want and need is so close; if you just move a quarter of an inch, all the world's pleasures are yours.

Klaus bit down on the girl's neck. He felt her automatically stiffen, as was the normal response, and then slowly relax as the endorphins spread throughout her body, leaving her floating on the greatest high the world has ever known.

After a minute or two, as the girl grew weaker, her head fell forward and a few strands of blonde hair fell into Klaus's line of sight.

Only one thought went through his head: _Caroline. _

He immediately pulled back with inhuman speed. He reevaluated the girl and discovered she hardly resembled Caroline at all, save for the blonde hair. It was strange for him to be so overwhelmed with just the thought of a name. Klaus was used to controlling everyone and everything in his life, especially his thoughts and actions. It was peculiar that this one girl had this startling effect on him; no girl had done similarly in centuries. He wasn't yet sure of what it was about Caroline that made her so special in his mind. She was beautiful, but no more beautiful than others he had seen before. She was kind and loyal, but those were traits Klaus usually found more suitable for followers, not romantic interests. Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't want him. Whatever it was, he had to permanently remove it from his thoughts.

_I cannot be in any remotely close proximity with her. Maybe I need to go away for some time…_

* * *

><p>Caroline quietly knocked on Elena's front door. After a few moments, Elena opened the door with a slightly surprised look on her face.<p>

"Fancy seeing you here," Elena said with a questioning look.

"I know, I should have called first, but I really needed to talk to you," Caroline replied as she made a motion toward the door.

"Oh, yeah, come in. You know you don't need to give me warning. I'm queen of crisis, remember?" Elena said as she opened the door further.

"Well, your powers are really needed, so I hope they're in high supply today," Caroline sighed as she stalked past Elena and up the stairs to her room. Elena followed her into the bedroom and quietly shut the door behind her.

"So what's going on?"

Caroline groaned and fell onto the bed. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she wailed to the ceiling.

Elena sat down on the edge of her bed and placed her hand on her friend's knee. "I can guarantee there's nothing wrong with you. I thought you had accepted your vampirism and made peace with your inner demons?"

The blonde girl sat up and sighed again. "Of course I have. That's not the problem," she said as she threw her head into her hands. Through the gaps between her fingers, she looked up at Elena. "You have to promise not to hate me," she mumbled.

Elena grabbed the vampire's wrists and pressed them to her sides. "Caroline. Stop being ridiculous. I will never hate you, so stop worrying. You're starting to scare me. Just tell me, it can't be that bad," the brunette said with emphasis.

"Oh, it's bad," Caroline said while raising her eyebrows and nodding her head, "Trust me. I think I'm falling for Klaus…" Caroline grimaced.

Elena quickly stood and put her hands to her head, "Seriously?" She stared at Caroline for a moment then exclaimed, "Oh my god, you are!"

Caroline meekly smiled, "I wouldn't make a big deal about it if I didn't think it might happen, but remember how I told you about the ball? And what Klaus said to me? He fancies me too, so it's, like, realistic. This relationship has a possibility on the first level."

Elena's jaw dropped. She pulled her fingers through her hair and said, "I'm not quite sure what to say. I mean, the fact that he's murdered all these people, including my aunt, obviously isn't a problem for you if you're interested in him now," she said with a bit of a snarky tone.

"Oh gosh, Elena, you promised you wouldn't hate me! I'm sorry and I realize how much you must feel like I'm betraying you, so I won't act on my feelings if you don't want me to," Caroline said, on the verge of tears.

Elena shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly overwhelmed with the situation. Finally, after a few very long moments, Elena sighed and looked down, "No. If you really feel this way, I can't ask you not to do anything about it. Hey, and who knows, maybe you'll turn him into a better person." The weak smile accompanying this sentiment was enough for Caroline to jump up and hug her friend.

"Thank you Elena. I know how hard this is for you."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't make me regret this when I never see you anymore because you're spending all your time with an evil hybrid."

"I won't spend all my time with the gorgeous Klaus, I promise."

"Gorgeous? I think that's a bit of an overstatement, Care."

"It's totally not! He's got that smoldering, sexy look that you know makes me melt. You can see the contours of his muscles through his clothes, and let me tell you, he is ripped!"

Elena let loose a bubbly laugh and replied, "I'll just trust you on that."

Caroline winked and repeated Elena's laugh before a morose look passed across her face.

Elena caught it and asked, "What's wrong? I thought we just figured all this out?"

Caroline sighed and laid back down on the bed. "Yes, you and I have figured this out. But Klaus and I haven't. Actually, I don't think he ever wants to see me again, unless he happens upon me in a situation where my death is vital to his cause," she explained as her eyes began to water.

"What happened? Wasn't he like obsessed with you?"

"Obsessed might be an overstatement, but yeah. He was quite fond of me until a few days ago when we tried to kill the originals. Klaus assumed I was only talking to him so as to distract him while Stefan and Damon attempted Kol's murder. He believes I betrayed him."

"But you didn't! Sure, you were talking to him when everything went down, but it wasn't your plan and, if I recall, you weren't even aware of the plan!"

"I wasn't! Damon just told me to meet him at the bar because he had to talk to me about something. When I got there, I saw that Klaus and Kol were there too, so I left before even talking to Damon. Klaus followed me, being the romantic that he is, and we had an amazing conversation. He says the sweetest comments and we talked about life and the beautiful things of the world. Elena, he's been absolutely everywhere. I always thought I'd live in Mystic Falls forever, get preggers in high school, marry my baby daddy and be stuck in an awful marriage the rest of my life, and never actually do anything or go anywhere. With him, I feel like nothing is out of my reach," Caroline said as a slow smile spread across her face.

"Wow. This is totally for real, isn't it? Well, we will just have to find a way to get him to notice you again. If I'm right, Klaus doesn't let himself feel on a regular basis, so the fact that he liked you means a lot. Which means, no matter how much he tries to deny it, he will probably always feel something for you. That's our advantage," Elena plotted with a mischievous grin.

* * *

><p>Klaus was reading backward through all his journals, trying to find the place he had been absent from the longest. Europe was almost entirely out of the question for he went there often and now there was the added bonus of all the immense beauty and elegance reminding him of the girl he so desperately wished to escape. He couldn't even think her name any longer for it brought up painful memories that he never wished to relive.<p>

Asia could be an interesting selection because he hadn't returned since before the world wars and wanted to see any lasting damage. Then again, Klaus wasn't really one for crowds, so overpopulated cities like those of India or China were angrily crossed off the list. Also, he had heard that his Mandarin might be horribly out of date and catching up just felt overly bothersome at this point. That also meant the majority of his languages were useless and Klaus despised appearing as a tourist.

As a continent, Klaus was not fond of much of Africa, save for Morocco, which was one of the most entertaining countries he had ever been to. It always made him question his purposes in life (or death) when he saw the poor children of some various African countries. All he has cared about for so long is his family, breaking the curse, and getting revenge on anyone who has wronged him, when he could have devoted much time and money to a cause that could really use his help. The pity he felt for those kids was intense and painful, so Klaus had turned it off, along with the rest of his emotions. If he was going somewhere to take lives instead of save them, Africa would not be the place to go.

South and Latin America is far too close and the whole drug lords thing would be something Klaus would _have _to get involved with just to kill off worthless people with no guilt. You wouldn't think that'd be a problem, but if all of the drug problems just stopped, everyone would know that something's up. Eventually they would link it back to Klaus, and all that compelling would take too much effort for his tastes.

Australia was the only viable continent left and Klaus had no reserves about going there. After thinking about it for a short while, he determines he will fly to Sydney tomorrow morning on a ten o'clock flight and booked a first class seat. He began to pack his bags and crafted a note to Rebekah, explaining his absence and where to find him if she wished to join him in the near future. With her recent absence from the house most evenings, he assumed she wouldn't return until midday the following day. For a moment he worried she would not wish to share this vacation because of her recent Damon Salvatore infatuation. He then remembered that Damon loved Elena, and as much as he would like to pretend she wasn't the only thing keeping him here in this small town, he would never get over her. Eventually Rebekah would see that, torture him for leading her on, and then move on and join Klaus for some fun in the Australian sun.

Klaus decided that, for once, he really needed this.

* * *

><p>Elena and Caroline were still talking.<p>

"Well, you have to start by telling him how you feel. You need to find out how ready he is to forgive you before we put all this effort into winning him back," Elena said confidently.

"I could stop by tonight. I'm sure he's not asleep yet. I almost feel as though he never sleeps at all," Caroline replied.

"No. If you go tonight, he'll assume that you only came for a booty call or something of the sort. You should go tomorrow morning so he understands that you're serious about giving him a chance and you are not just interested in some one-night thing."

"Okay, it's a plan. I'll stop by his place tomorrow morning and we'll see how it goes," Caroline said, bursting with hope.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry! I feel like this took me forever to upload even though it's been less than a week. Haven't had a ton of time to write what with soccer and whatnot. <strong>

**If you're totally into Klaroline, follow me on tumblr at ihidemycrazy** **and I'll love you forever and we can be best friends :)**


	3. House Call

**Oh gosh, guys, I'm so sorry. This took WWAAAAYYY too long because I was on spring break and didn't have a computer and had to edit a manuscript and then this week was crazy homework, and yeah. SORRY! I love you all for being so patient. **

**On another side note, Caroline's feelings progress so fast because that's how I feel most teenage girls feelings go. Like, a boy picks up your pencil or something then, WHAM! Five minutes later you're hooked on the dude. (Maybe that's just me because I'm lonely and desperate ;) )**

* * *

><p>A House Call<p>

All through the night, Caroline was pacing. She'd start at the door, brush past her bed, pause at the window, turn, and then go back the way she came. The added affect of vampire speed and her ability to stay up all night led to some wear and tear on the hardwood flooring. When the sun rose, Caroline could see her pathway carved through her bedroom.

"Oh crap," she muttered as she searched through her closet for a rug to cover the damage. She could only find beach towels and decided those would do for now. She had to see Klaus as soon as possible so the anxiety that was pumping through her veins could slow to an acceptable rate.

Caroline's thoughts, as per usual, were OCD to the extreme. Every little detail was screaming for attention so they could tell her all the things that might go wrong. She was especially despising the ones commenting on her looks, saying that skipping sleep was a bad choice if she's trying to connive her way into a relationship, because there was no way her looks were an asset today. Of course, she actually looked as gorgeous as ever, but the insecure voices don't just go away when you die, they follow you into the afterlife.

Finally tossing her insecure thoughts out the window, Caroline began her way over to Klaus's residence. It was quite the elaborate mansion and Caroline wondered if he had it built in the past, long ago when he originally lived there, or if it was just an isolated foreclosure that he had stumbled upon. The landscaping was beautiful with roses blooming everywhere and a lovely lake nestled amongst some trees, which made it very apparent that this home was not being neglected. The front of the house was very regal, with columns the thickness of trees and elaborate doorways that were artfully decorated by some outstanding artist, Caroline was sure.

But as she was taking all this in, she noticed something else. There was a car parked in front of the house with an open trunk that was full of suitcases. For a moment, Caroline was confused. Her first thought was wondering where Rebekah was planning on going, especially without Damon, but then she saw a pairs of loafers.

It hit her like a lamppost in a Final Destination movie. She staggered backward in shock and whipped her hand up to her gaping mouth.

At that very moment, Klaus exited the house with what appeared to be a final suitcase. With an air of complete indifference, he glanced up at the girl in shock before him.

"Hello, Caroline. I'm sorry, but whatever you came here for, I'm afraid I will be unable to assist you," he said to her while she made an attempt to compose herself.

"Oh. Um, well, why is that?" Caroline asked meekly and the proceeded to bite her lip.

"Well, I've decided that I'm through with Mystic Falls for the time being, so I've decided to move to Australia for the time being," He said nonchalantly as Caroline gasped.

"But… but don't you need to have Elena to make your creepy hybrid friends? How will you make any on the other side of the world without her blood?" Caroline said, grasping for anything to make him stay.

"Ah, Caroline, you neglect my ability to think ahead. Since I have found out that Elena's blood is the special ingredient to my hybrids, I've been saving her blood. By now, I have plenty to last me at least a year. But, I don't actually plan on using it because I'd like some alone time. You'd think I'd have more of it in my many centuries, but strangely, there has never been a week spent without a companion or friend," he replied as he put his bag into the truck and closed the hatch.

Caroline just stared at him in shock.

"My god, is it really that shocking that I had friends? There are many people out there who are just like me, Caroline, as I'm sure there are many people out there just like you," he smirked.

"It's not shocking you have had friends, you have lived forever, one would think you'd have acquired _some _people skills; it's shocking that you're willing to just pick up and move around the mood because it sounds fun. And I'd like to think I'm an original, thank you very much," Caroline said as she crossed her arms.

"That's great, sweetheart, but are you ever going to tell me why you came here? Or is my absence going to throw a wrench in those plans?"

"I actually came here to see where we stood," Caroline said.

"Stood how? I'm an old man, I don't necessarily do well with this modern lingo," Klaus said with another smirk.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Where do we stand on a relationship level? Are we friends? Frenemies? Enemies? I guess it doesn't matter now that you're leaving, but I was just confused."

"I thought you chose that we remain enemies because you thought I was vile and not worth you friendship, but lucky for you, I have decided to overlook that and not kill you before my departure," Klaus said as he opened his car door and hopped in.

"Klaus, I never said you were vile. I just told you that you were going about your relationships with people incorrectly. You can't buy people. But that's not why I came. I came to tell you that I have feelings for you and to see if you still felt the same way," Caroline said through the car window and began to bite her lip again.

Klaus laughed. In his mind, he was thinking of the irony that had just occurred. Only hours ago, he had decided he would no longer care about Caroline because she refused to care for him. He packed his bags and got ready to leave Mystic Falls mostly to avoid her, although he told himself otherwise, and _now _she wants him.

Naturally, Caroline wasn't reading his mind, so she assumed he was laughing at the audacity of it. She crossed her arms and settled into a look that clearly read: pissed as hell. On the inside she was mortified. She had just told a mass murderer that she had feelings for him and he had just thrown back his head and laughed. It was probably the most embarrassing moment of her life.

Once Klaus looked up to see the girl's expression, he realized something. He had all the power here. Of course, he still fancied her, even he wasn't that good at suppressing human nature, but he had to remain true to his nature. She was going to have to work for it, just like she had made him work for it.

"Oh darling, I know you're in love with me these days, I could see it all over your face as soon as I exited the house. But I should let you know something now; for me, it's always just about the chase. There is no pride in having something that just falls into your lap; you have to work for something to truly own it. You're only worth my time when you don't want anything to do with me," he said over the voice jumping around in his head, yelling at him to stop being a fool and kiss the girl before she loses all interest. But she was right; being around for so long had fine-tuned his people skills and he knew just how to make someone do what he wanted. This would work.

Caroline was still extremely embarrassed, but found the courage to ask, "Then what are you still doing here?"

Klaus then slowly smiled and motioned with his hand for Caroline to step back. She complied and watched as he got out of his car. Once he had closed the door, he turned toward her and said, "Well, now that you are interested in me while I am no longer interested in you, it should quite entertaining to see how you try to win me over. And I can't exactly do that from Australia, can I?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and replied, "I wouldn't expect anything from me after the way you've acted today. I've realized what a colossal error in judgment I made by coming here and thinking you were an actual person, so you can get on with your trip to Australia. Don't bother writing." Then she sauntered away with a swing of her hips.

Klaus just smiled after her. She would be back, of that he was sure.

* * *

><p>Caroline was back to pacing. At first she was thinking of what a jerk Klaus had turned out to be. Like, who does he think he is telling her that she's not worth his time? Not worth his time? She was the best person he had ever met and they both knew it. He drew her horses and gave her gifts, which is far too much effort for someone to put in when, as soon as you returned your affections, they would just mock you and laugh at your gullibility!<p>

Then, she really thought about it. Klaus hadn't felt anything for someone besides himself for centuries, she was sure of it. And he did really know how to manipulate people… That's it! He was manipulating her. If she could just prove to him that she had legitimate feelings for him, he would see she was someone to be bargained with. Caroline was sure he still felt something for her; she knew from experience that you never stop caring for someone once you start.

Then a floorboard cracked and she decided she might have to find a new pacing route. Then, feeling entirely overwhelmed with the day, she plopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. In a slightly childish train of thought, Caroline wished that the ceiling could tell her the answers to all her problems. When no words appeared after a few moments, she shook her head and sighed, frustrated that she was getting no help from the spirits on this one.

Deciding to get help from a less mystical force, Caroline called Elena. It rung eight times before her answering machine picked up. Caroline left a quick message about needing help with a Klaus situation, then looked at the clock for an answer as to why Elena had not answered her cell phone. She realized that it was eight o'clock and Saturday, so Elena was probably at the grill, spending time with her friends and having a great time, instead of pacing the floors to death and thinking about a boy so much that his name played as constant background music in all her thoughts.

She then thought about calling Bonnie, but then concluded that Bonnie was sure to be with Elena and she didn't want to look desperate by calling them both within minutes of each other.

The she sat up in bed with a start. Why hadn't they invited _her_?They were all still best friends, after all. What was happening to the world today? Caroline got rejected by not only a boy (even though he hardly counted as a boy), but her best friends too! She had no options of people to talk to because she wasn't exactly comfortable talking to Tyler because she'd be forced to tell him she was actually interested in Klaus and there was no telling how that would turn out. Matt would be with Elena and Bonnie, Damon's also a no on all counts, and Stefan's still mean, unhappy Stefan and he would definitely not understand her new crush.

Caroline sighed, defeated and decided to save her dilemma for a later date. She then drifted off into the first sleep she'd had all week.


	4. What to Do

**Hey guys, I tried to update fast this time since I took so much time last time. I also just reread my last chapter and realized that I probably shouldn't have written it so late at night, it wasn't my finest writing. Sorry for that, I'll write this while I'm actually entirely awake. I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

><p>What To Do<p>

She and Klaus were dancing. He was wearing a tuxedo, so Caroline looked down upon her own attire and realized she was wearing an amazing dress she had never seen before. It was a beautiful swirl of pinks and reds that blended together to create the most gorgeous dress Caroline had ever imagined. They swayed back and forth, then Klaus suddenly twirled her and her dress spun for a moment, making her feel like she could fly. Caroline settled back into their dance and was momentarily shocked by the smile on his face. She couldn't remember a time when she had genuinely seen him smile. It was awe-inspiring for she had never seen someone look that perfect in her entire existence.

"Do you just want to stare or am I allowed to kiss you?" Klaus asked while he raised an eyebrow.

She tried to act like she wasn't dying for that kiss, but really, who was she kidding? She quickly moved to meet him halfway-

_Bam! _Caroline woke up face-down on the floor next to her bed in a tangle of sheets. She shifted her fingers through her hair and stared up at the bed, not quite awake enough to realize she had fallen out of bed. Quickly an image of Klaus in his tux flashed through her mind and she hopped up and dashed to her closet to find a cute outfit before shecould go visit him. The she remembered what had happened the previous day and that he wouldn't want to see her and then belly flopped onto her bed.

"Just kill me all over again!" she cried into her pillow.

* * *

><p>"C'mon, get on with it. I need to know what she's doing!" Klaus barked at his witch. She seemed to be taking her sweet time and it didn't exactly make Klaus feel reassured about Caroline's feelings for him. He had to be sure he hadn't scared her off. Looking back, he realized that he may have been too harsh or even rude.<p>

_What has happened to me? I'm even overlooking basic manners these days. Well, I guess killing people all the time might also be considered rude… _He thought to himself as the witch scurried around the water basin, trying to scrounge up an image of Caroline.

Finally, she screeched, "I've got it! Come see!" and waved him toward her while jumping up and down.

He briskly walked over and stared down into the basin. "How does it work?" he asked, then trailed his fingers through the image of Caroline's hair.

"It is quite simple. If you wish to see her, simply stand before the fountain, and then begin to skip around it in a circle. It will also help if you sing some little jingle about her as you skip and the more enthusiasm, the better," she told him, trying to suppress her giggles. He sternly looked at her and replied, "That is bloody hilarious, my dear, but if you could be serious for a moment, it might save your life."

She visibly gulped and began to explain that he could see her whenever he wanted, all he had to do was say her name while standing next to the fountain and she would appear.

"Fantastic. You have no served your purpose. Get on your way now before I change my mind and decide to kill you instead," Klaus said and smirked as she ran away. It was silly that everyone still believed he would kill with no purpose. His reputation preceded him well, which made his work infinitely easier. He rarely had to get his hands bloody, but people still feared him without an inch of doubt.

_Everything I do has a purpose, I'm not recklessly violent. I'm not a child who hasn't learned that actions have consequences. But it's best for people to fear me; it makes it almost too easy to get what I want. _

He then got distracted by Caroline in the basin. She was lying face down on her bed, slamming her fists onto her bed, and screaming into her pillow.

_Well, she seems upset. Or frustrated._

He smirked. This was great. Frustration was good. Crying would be bad. It hurt him a little inside to know that he was the reason she wasn't happy right now, but it's only fair that she feels some of the pain he felt by her constant rejection.

* * *

><p>Caroline had no clue what to do. She needed to win his affections even though that was playing right into his hands. Granted, by ignoring the games she was probably giving them a healthier relationship, but it still took some mental persuading to convince her that this was the only way this could work.<p>

Ideas were flying through her head, but nothing would inspire any reaction out of Klaus besides laughter. Not one thing was good enough for him. She kept thinking of all the things she'd done to win boys' affections in the past, which made her realize how little she actually cared for those boys. Of course, some of them were great and deserve someone totally awesome, but they just weren't right for what she needed in the long run. Caroline needed someone who challenged her and made her be her best self. Most of the time, boys would immediately forgive her for any wrongdoings if she just gave them a smile and twirled her hair. She never really cared what they thought because they were rarely interesting or worth her time. Matt and Tyler were different, naturally, but that's only because Elena had moved onto vampires and left the good boys for Caroline.

But gifts had never exactly been her strong suit. She always got people what she would want and was sometimes shocking to find they didn't absolutely adore it.

Then, an idea floated in, almost like seaweed in the ocean. She was pulling at strings and finally thought of something: she could give Klaus things similar to what he had given her. He would then understand what these gifts had meant to her and would see that she actually cared for him if he would just let her.

She would draw him a picture! She got an A in art last semester, it couldn't be impossible. She began to draw Klaus. Picturing him wasn't a problem for he was engraved forever on the insides of her eyelids. The drawing was what appeared to be the problem. The first try was equivalent to a stick figure with hands from a horror movie with a lake monster, which she promptly crumpled up and tossed into the trashcan. She made it on the first try; her hand-eye coordination improvement may have been the best perk to being a vampire. Caroline soun around in her chair and threw her arms into the air as she let out a "Whoop!" which Klaus chuckled at as he saw it from his magical water basin.

She then made another attempt which, though it was an improvement, was still absolutely miserable.

_I guess he's even more talented than we thought, _Caroline's subconscious said to her as she tried another drawing. _You're not going to be able to draw as well as he did, you may as well move onto something else. Hell! Move on to another person; he's much too good for you. _

"God, my subconscious is pretty evil," Caroline said to herself. "Well, at least I know why I can be such a bitch to people sometimes."

She continued drawing for quite some time, her drawings never being able to catch Klaus's perfection.

Then there was a knock on the door. Frustrated, Caroline yelled, "I'll be there in a minute!" and squashed the latest drawing into her top drawer.

Caroline saw through the glass that it was Klaus and was suddenly confused. She hadn't asked him to come here and she certainly was not presentable enough for someone she was trying to win over. She hesitantly opened the door for Klaus and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that, love, it's not important," he replied with his signature smirk.

"What do you mean, it's not important?" Caroline asked with a questioning look on her face.

"Darling, what did I say? It's not important. Please stop with the incessant questions," he said in an uncharacteristically kind voice. He made a gesture toward the door, "May I come in?"

Somewhat flustered, Caroline stepped aside and murmured, "Sure," under her breath, mostly because she was positive he could hear her anyways.

He strutted into her humble abode and took in his surroundings. It was a normal house, average furniture, family photos, and the lived-in feel that it seemed vampires alone could never acquire. Seeing pictures of Caroline from her youth was rather shocking, for he was used to the ravishing creature before him who never changed in appearance and never would. She was an adorable child, no shock there, but it was strange for him to see young Elena and Bonnie with her. It seemed Caroline and he had a similar sense of loyalty to friends.

"So, where are the drawings?" He turned toward Caroline and asked.

"Wha-what?" Caroline stuttered. "The drawings you gave me? Why would you want them back?"

Klaus laughed quietly. "No, my dear, not my drawings: yours. I heard you were drawing me and I'd like to see the finished product. Come on now, let's see it," He said as he began walking down the hall.

Caroline ran after him yelling, "Wait! Stop! Where are you going? Get back here!" She reached the door at the same moment as him and threw herself in front of it.

"Oh, Caroline sweetheart, you really think your presence as a blockade would do any good?" He said as he picked her up by her waist and repositioned her behind him, then entered her room. It was a twin of the image from the water basin. There were crumpled papers everywhere and it was even difficult for him not to trip over the various shoes scattered around the floor. He began picking up the papers and smoothing them out. The first one he unfolded was atrocious and he purposefully laughed outright, just so she could hear. "Is this supposed to be me?" He asked with genuine curiosity, finding her effort adorable, and becoming more infatuated with her by the second. Of course he could never let her know that, but that didn't mean the feelings were not there.

"Yes, it was supposed to be you and I'm aware that it is awful. Don't mock my inferior artistic ability," Caroline said with a pout.

"My sincerest apologizes for laughing, but I could not control myself. I see what you were trying to say through them and it was quite an effort. I'm excited to see what you have in store for me in the future," he said with his trademark smirk as he began to make his way out.

"No, wait! If you're not too busy, maybe you could stay and talk? Or you could teach me how to draw like you do," she said with a meek smile in his direction.

Klaus laughed again. "Sorry, darling, but my artistic gifts take years of practice and training, and I've got other engagements for the day. Nice try, though, with drawing the pictures. It was a valiant attempt," he said while walking away, down the hall. Right before he got to the door he waved back to her, and, although it was fleeting and wasn't full of meaning, it gave her a smidgen of hope.

He had insulted her and her drawings, but she really didn't care. It felt like he could more easily just destroy her than put effort into making her feel like he felt when she kept rejecting his advances. There was a sliver of hope that remained, convincing her that she needed a new idea to win him over and fast.

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><p><strong>Hope this was satisfactory at least, feel free to let me know. :) If you're a Klaroline shipper like myself, follow me on tumblr. My usernames ihidemycrazy, follow me and you'll make my day! Love y'all, you're great and don't forget it! <strong>


	5. Take Two

**Oh my gosh guys, I'M SO SORRY! It's been forever, I know, I'm evil. There's a very long line of excuses, but I'm sure ya'll don't want to waste time reading about it so here we go. Love ya'll and I hope it was worth the wait!**

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><p>Take Two<p>

Now that she knew that she had Klaus's attention, Caroline knew she had to step up her game. The usual plan was not going to work because this was the king amongst boys. She had to find something that was special and sentimental to win him over. Now all she could do was think.

They'd had multiple meaningful conversations; it shouldn't be so hard to find something that is important to him. She knew family was the most important thing to him, but that isn't really something you can give. Maybe she could organize a group picture… no, that's stupid. And Rebekah probably wouldn't cooperate; she wasn't exactly Caroline's biggest fan. Actually, she wasn't sure about any of the originals' feelings about her exactly. They probably didn't have much of an opinion; Klaus surely didn't talk about her all the time with his family, so they probably hardly knew she existed. Hopefully.

The day of the ball, they had talked a lot. He showed her his magnificent artwork. Obviously, she had already tried being an artist and had failed miserably. Also, she didn't have the economic resources to buy a museum for him, so the artistic path was a no go.

Wait! She could precisely remember when he told her that he fancied her. They were outside and were looking at the gorgeous horses. He told her how he loved horses because they're the opposite of people; they're loyal. Her cousin owned a horse ranch over in eastern Kentucky and Caroline was sure they had a horse they weren't using. Well, actually, that's rather unlikely, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right? Right. So she hopped in the car and was off. Halfway there she realized she didn't really have a way to get the horse back to Klaus, but they had to have horse trailers or something at a horse ranch.

She pulled up the dirt lot and parked beside a fence. There was a young boy walking two horses toward a barn. "Hey! Kid! Can I talk to you for a second?" she yelled after the boy and jogged to catch up to him as he turned around.

"Who are you?" the little boy asked Caroline once they were within a good distance from each other.

Caroline extended her hand for him to shake and replied "Hi. I'm Caroline Forbes. I believe my cousin works her and I was coming to visit her, but I'm not sure where to find her. Could you help me out?"

The boy smiled. "Of course, ma'am. If you tell me her name I can go fetch her for you, if that so pleases you," he replied, the picture of politeness.

"You'd do that for me? Thanks, that'd be fantastic. Her name is Julie Forbes. I can watch the horses while you're gone, if you want," Caroline responded as she began to pet one of the horses.

"Well, you seem darn good with 'em, so sure. Here ya go, I should be back shortly, ma'am," he said as he handed her the reins and left with a polite nod of his head.

Caroline had always loved horses. They were beautiful, majestic creatures. Granted, they were huge, so when she was a kid, Caroline tended to admire them from afar. Now she wasn't afraid to stand next to potentially volatile horses, being virtually indestructible and whatnot. But now that she had no fear, she didn't have enough money to buy a horse and take care of it. She actually wasn't sure how she would be able to pay for the horse for Klaus. At least she knew he could afford it's care.

The boy returned with her cousin. "Hello, miss, I come bearing your cousin, if I'm not mistaken."

Caroline jumped and squealed "Julie!" then quickly handed the boy the reins and hugged her cousin. They did the hugging-while-hopping-and-shrieking thing for a bit. They released each other and Julie said, with a slight southern accent, "Caroline! I haven't seen you in years. Where have you been? I've missed you."

"Well, things have been a little hectic over in Mystic Falls. I'm sorry I haven't had much time to visit, but the highway goes east _and_ west you know," Caroline replied with a smile.

"Touché, girly. So, since you're at my work and not the house, I assume this visit is more business than pleasure. Saddle up and let me know what ya need," Julie said and put her hands on her waist.

"Okay. I really hate to ask you this, but could you give me a deal on a horse? I only have two thousand dollars to spend and I know that's not even close to what your horses are worth, but it would mean so much to me if I could bring home a horse today," Caroline said in a rush of breath.

"Okay, darling, I'll see what I can do. Follow me," Julie said.

They began walking toward a huge barn. The young boy followed with the two horses and opened the door for the girls. They went in and the boy put the horses in their appropriate stalls. Julie led Caroline past tens of horses to the end of the row of stalls. Now in front of three horses, Julie said, "Here are our least trained horses. They would be the least expensive if we decide to sell any of our horses, besides the older ones that can't run anymore. Do any of them suit your needs?"

Caroline stepped up in front of gorgeous blonde horse with a white stripe down its nose. She patted her neck and said to her cousin "If I was shopping for myself, this girl would be mine. She's breathtaking."

"You're going to spend two thousand dollars for someone else? Gosh, girly, if this is for a boy, he'd best be worth it," Julie said with raised eyebrows.

Caroline kissed the horse's nose and moved over to the next stall. It was a plain, brown horse that seemed plenty nice, but it wasn't Klaus's type. The next horse was beautiful. It was a huge black stallion that had a fire in his eyes. It obviously had a ton of energy and was bursting to get out so it could just run. That right there was Klaus's horse.

Caroline said "I'd like to take this one here," as she patted the horse's nose.

Julie raised her eyebrows again. "Are you sure about that? He's quite the rambunctious fellow. I'm impressed he even let you touch him. He must like you," she said.

"Then he's perfect. Do you have a trailer I could borrow?"

* * *

><p>Klaus hadn't been watching Caroline today; he wanted to be surprised when he saw her next attempt. It was quite humorous actually that she truly believed she had ever lost it.<p>

_I guess I'm a better actor than I thought. _

It was just sunset when he heard a knock on the door. As he walked to the door, he thought to himself _that must be Caroline._

Sure enough, he opened the door to find the ravishing creature before him looking a little smug.

"Ah, so you've returned. What could it be now?" Klaus asked as he crossed his arms.

"I can guarantee even you, with your heart of stone of whatever, will love this. Meet me in the backyard in a minute and you'll see," Caroline said, then sped away.

Klaus waited a moment and then followed her. He found her standing next to the most beautiful horse he had ever seen. It was obviously a proud horse; it knew how powerful it was. If Klaus was a horse, he would definitely be this horse.

"Sweetheart, is this magnificent beast for me?" Klaus asked Caroline as he approached the horse.

"Why, yes he is. Do you like him?" Caroline said as she handed him the reins.

Klaus took the reins and sounded a little surprised when he said "Yes, I do. He's excellent. Quite the gift, Caroline, you have outdone yourself."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "Does this mean I have returned to your good graces?"

"Not necessarily, my dear. If he decides he dislikes me, I'm afraid your efforts will have had a lesser impact. Did you happen to get a horse of your own?" Klaus asked, momentarily taking his eyes away from the horse to look towards her.

"No, I didn't. I spent all my cash on this boy here," Caroline replied and indicated who she was talking about by patting the horses back.

"Well, that's a pity. We could've gone riding together. Surely there was a horse that suited you?" Klaus asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, a beautiful blonde filly was kinda calling my name, but I couldn't afford it, much less it's care, so it was out of the question," Caroline said with a shrug. "If you wouldn't mind, the trailer he came in has to be returned. I left the address taped to the door. If you could return it for me, it'd fantastic," she said as she began to walk away.

Klaus yelled after her, "That's going to put you back a few steps. You might need one more gift to win me over!"

Caroline replied over her shoulder, "I'll think about it!"

As soon as Caroline was out of sight, Klaus hopped on the horse. He clicked his tongue and the horse began to move. Soon, he was running and Klaus already felt the bond between himself and the horse. It seemed Caroline really knew him if she picked this horse. They were as similar as hybrid and horse could be. The way he rode took Klaus no time getting used to. And, by god, was he _fast. _"I think I'll call you _Diablo,_" Klaus said to his horse. The horse whinnied to show his understanding and liking of the name. "I think it suits you well," Klaus said, convincing himself that he wasn't crazy simply because the horse seemed to understand him. It wasn't like he had anyone else to talk to at the moment, anyway.

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><p>Caroline was speeding down the street, blasting music with the wind whipping through her hair. She wasn't worried about her next "gift" for Klaus. She had figured it out when she heard an old 80's song on the radio. She was driving past the farthest reaches of Klaus's land. Caroline saw him and his newly acquired horse speeding by the fence. Klaus looked the happiest she had ever seen him.<p>

_I did good, didn't I? _

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><p><strong>I apologize, all my horse knowledge comes from Wildfire, hahah. I hope it was acceptable :) If you liked it, follow me on tumblr at ihidemycrazy. if you have a TVD blog, i'll follow you back! I'll try to write faster for next time, i promise. Love ya!<strong>_  
><em>


	6. If We Were a Movie

**Oh gosh I'm just getting so lame at updating. Who'd have thought I'd suddenly get a semblance of a life and have no time to write? It's shocking. Hope you like the chapter!**

If We Were a Movie

It was nearly dusk as Caroline put everything into her car and prepared to leave. She slid into the driver's seat and started taking long, deep breaths. It didn't slow down her heartbeat like it would have if she was still human, but the familiarity of the exercise calmed her all the same. Caroline backed out of her driveway, telling herself, "Don't think about it. You've planned it all out, it'll be fine, just don't think about it. You'll make yourself nervous."

Halfway there, Caroline thought _Look at you, Caroline. You're even talking to yourself! This might just be too much for you…_

"No! I'm allowed to talk to myself, little voice, because you are all in my head whispering this crazy crap, just trying to get me to turn this car around. But guess what! I won't. I'm gonna do this no matter what you say!"

_Seems you're getting quite worked up there. Maybe you should go home and calm down…_

"Stop you stupid voice! Just go away!" Caroline said as she turned up her radio's volume and began to sing along. With the pounding sound reverberating through her bones, blocking out crazy voices, her mind wandered to the semantics of her "gift."

_ I can't believe how hard it was to find a trench coat. You'd think in a town with this much creepy happenings, they'd have an entire store filled with trench coats. And I can't believe Mom actually kept my Barbie boom box from when I was a kid. _

Caroline turned down her music as she pulled into Klaus's driveway. Her palms were sweating and her chest felt tight. She breathed deeply a couple of times and wiped her hands on the seat, then grabbed the boom box and stepped out of the car. A slight breeze fluttered her trench coat and Caroline shivered, but not because she was cold. She positioned herself close to Klaus's window, hoping her attempt would turn out better than it had in the movie. She turned the volume all the way up on her Barbie boom box, even though she knew Klaus would hear it no matter how quiet it was, and pressed play. It began blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes."

With one hand, Caroline lifted the boom box above her head and with the other, untied the straps of her trench coat to reveal her newest lingerie. Both pieces were beautiful mixes of black and white lace, which she thought may represent Klaus.

It took a short while for Klaus to make his way to the window, but once he was there, he was quite a sight. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Klaus was stunned, momentarily frozen at his window. Then he vanished, the curtains flickering in his wake.

Caroline frowned to herself and lowered the boom box. _Maybe it _will_ be like Say Anything._ Then she heard the doorknob turn.

She looked up to find Klaus determinedly walking toward her, much like he had that night at the grill. Klaus reached Caroline, slid his hands into her hair, and kissed her. His lips were warm and soft, which Caroline would not have guessed before. Tingles shot from her lips across her face and continued down until Caroline could feel them in her toes. The boom box dropped the couple feet from her hand to the cement and continued to play. Caroline moved her arms to encircle his neck as he deepened the kiss. She gasped. The first coherent thought to fly through Caroline's head since the kiss began was _KLAUS'S TONGUE IS INSIDE MY MOUTH! _Caroline's breast heaved with her rhythmical breathing and grazed Klaus's hard chest through his thin shirt. Klaus's hands lightly trailed down her body until they held her waist, his right thumb drawing little circles on her hip bone.

He pulled away for a moment and whispered, "Caroline, you are the most magnificent being to ever grace this earth with your presence."

Caroline smiled and threaded her fingers through his hair as she pulled him closer to kiss him again.

* * *

><p>A couple minutes later, when the song ended, Klaus ended the kiss and moved Caroline's hands from behind his neck to in front of both of them, interlacing their fingers.<p>

"I'm sorry, love," he apologized. "That was not the most gentlemanly behavior."

Caroline was still a little high off the kiss, so she shook her head and dreamily said, "No. That was perfect," and shyly smiled at him again.

Klaus chuckled and asked, "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm all alone tonight and I'm sure you could borrow some of Rebekah's clothes if you're not comfortable in this," he nodded to her ensemble.

Caroline gave him a look and questioned, "You really think Rebekah would be okay with me wearing her clothes?"

Klaus sort of barked a laugh and replied, "Now that you ask, she probably would not appreciate it and it's best not to make Rebekah angry. But I do have a few shirts that should be large enough to cover you nicely, even though that'd be a shame," the last bit punctuated with his cocky grin.

Caroline laughed and said she'd love to stay for dinner. Klaus led her by the hand through his house and up to his room. Caroline sat on the edge of Klaus's bed while he began searching through his closet. Thirty seconds later, he turned around, displaying a large Van Halen concert t-shirt. Caroline started giggling.

Klaus looked down at the shirt, then back to Caroline. "What?"

"You go to rock concerts?"

"In the 70's and 80's, yes, I did. Does that surprise you?"

Caroline was full-on laughing now. "I—I wouldn't have- believed you-if you didn't- have the shirt."

"So, does this mean you don't want to wear this one?"

Caroline made an attempt to compose herself and said, "I'll see what my options are."

Klaus pulled out a few more shirts before saying, "Oh, you simply must wear this one," handing Caroline a tealish-blue shirt that had "Lucky" written across it in faded lettering.

Caroline took it and slipped it over her head. "I like this," Caroline said as she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. It covered as much skin as a short dress and was so soft that she could tell Klaus wore it all the time. It also very closely resembled the color of her eyes. She walked over to Klaus and he spun her like they were dancing. He breathed, "You're beautiful," and kissed her nose.

She giggled and said, "Thank you. So what were you planning on having for dinner?"

"Well, you can't judge me because I didn't know you were coming over, but I was just going to have Kraft macaroni and cheese."

Caroline started laughing again and said, "Who knew you'd be so full of surprises? Mac n' cheese does sound pretty good though."

Klaus smiled. "Lovely. Shall we?" he gestured towards the door.

Caroline grabbed his hand on her way to the door and said, "We shall."

Once downstairs, Klaus quickly made the macaroni and distributed it on two plates, placing one before Caroline. They both sat on the counter as they began to eat and suddenly Klaus hopped up and exclaimed, "I apologize, Caroline, this is so rude of me. I should have set the table and had us eat like civilized people. If you'd like, we can relocate now."

Caroline rolled her eyes and patted the space beside her. "Get back up here. I prefer this casualness considering I'm not wearing pants, but you were very polite to offer."

Klaus looked rather confused for a moment, but hopped up onto the counter and finished his meal.

Out of the blue, Caroline asked, "Are we like, dating now?"

Klaus replied, "I suppose we should discuss this. I don't believe your friends will take it very well if we were to date and I would therefore advise not."

Caroline's face fell and Klaus immediately began stumbling over himself to explain.

"Love, I didn't mean that. I simply figured that you would want to keep your friends over me."

"We don't have to tell them, though, right? Would you be opposed to secretly dating? At least for a little while so that I could lay some ground work?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with. I don't want to make your life any harder, but I'd adore being with you, if you'll have me."

"Okay, so we can just secretly date for a little while and tell everyone later. You'll probably have to tell your sister, but be sure she won't go spilling it to Damon, okay?"

"Okay, sweetheart, sounds like a plan," Klaus said just before leaning over to kiss Caroline again.

When he did, Caroline caught his scent and just about melted. There was a faint whiff of it on the shirt she had borrowed, but straight from the source was so much better.

The kiss was quick, but still took Caroline's breath away. Klaus noticed this and quietly laughed to himself. He was amazed at how much her feelings had changed for him over the past few weeks. She had absolutely despised him; hell, he was planning on sacrificing her less than a year ago. Granted, he didn't know her then, but that's a pretty large distance for a relationship to cross.

Klaus hadn't been this happy since the 20s. He might actually be happier now because a girlfriend is often quite different from a best friend/evil vampire and he also couldn't understand how he had lived all these years without Caroline. She had a glow that lit up a room and when she was happy, the whole world was happy. Klaus couldn't believe there was anyone else like her in the world; surely not anyone he had met throughout his life. He made a mental promise to himself, right then and there, that he would never let her go. He'd always do everything in his power to stay with him, even if he was a monster and she was an angel. Well, maybe there was a smidge of devilish wild-side, but that may be for the better. He would not always have to convince himself that he was unworthy of her, because she had made a few mistakes herself. She was still almost a perfect person in his eyes, but he wasn't so blinded by her that he never noticed her tiny faults.

"Hey. Penny for your thoughts?" Caroline asked Klaus to wake him from his gazing into space.

Klaus smoothly replied, "I was just thinking that I may have to let you keep that shirt. It would be a bloody shame if I wore it after you had. The shirt could mutiny against me and demand it's return to the beautiful young woman who sits before me and I can only take so much rejection that if it starts coming from clothing, I'll be in quite a… what is it you Americans say? A cucumber?"

Caroline laughed and replied, "A pickle. And if you don't mind, I kind of adore this shirt, but maybe I could leave it here and wear it whenever I'm over, um, just in case I'm in a similar situation and need clothes. Because truthfully, if this happens much more, you'll be sending me home with all your shirts and then what will you wear?" adding in a slight smile to show she was teasing. Caroline still wasn't quite sure how Klaus would take jokes or respond in certain situations. She knew he sometimes had volatile tendencies, but she chose to believe he wouldn't act in such a way around her.

Caroline looked at the clock and realized how late it was, so she said to Klaus, "I'm sorry, I really must get going. I'd love to stay, but my curfews in a few minutes so I gotta go. Um, well, call me," she finished with a smile and headed for the door.

"I believe you're forgetting something, Miss Forbes," Klaus called to her.

Caroline looked down and quickly riffled through her purse, finding nothing amiss, turned back toward the kitchen and started to reply, "I-" and Klaus was right there, stooping down to give her a mind-bending kiss. As he pulled away, Caroline felt herself being drawn closer to him, but regained composition and said goodnight before turning and leaving.

While driving home, she thought to herself _This is definitely going to be interesting…_

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! If you're a diehard Klaroline shipper, follow me on tumblr at ihidemycrazy ! Hope this was worth the wait and i again apologize for being such a flake about updating. i'm evil, sorry. If an actual author was like me, i'd already have an assassination plan ready, as a joke (or not...). Love you all and i hope your summers are treating you fantastically!<strong>_  
><em>


	7. Happiness

**So I just read a great fanfic and it inspired me to finish this. Sorry I haven't updated in literally forever, there's no good excuse. This was my first one of these things, so my planned plot was pretty short, so here comes an ending. Hope you like it :)**

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><p>Happiness<p>

Caroline skipped into her room, dropped her stuff on the floor, and hopped up onto her bed. She started jumping and squealing, then threw her face into her pillow and rapidly kicked her feet against her bed. Then she flipped over and began breathing heavily, trying to contain her excitement.

Once Caroline calmed herself down, her phone rang.

She lifted it to her ear without checking the ID and said "Hello?"

"Hello, love" a sexy British voice said through the phone.

Caroline giggled and teased, "I see you couldn't last ten minutes without my presence."

Klaus chuckled and replied, "You're right. Every moment you're away is a moment wasted. So, with that in mind, when can I see you again? Tomorrow morning? Oh, never mind, tonight. I'm sure you could sneak past your mother,"

Caroline smiled to herself, but said, "Whoa, buddy. You sure you're not gonna scare me away with how much you like me? Patience, old man, I thought you'd be familiar with it by now."

"Yes, I'm familiar with how much I dislike it. And I am being patient because I want to see you this very second, but I'm waiting until it is convenient for you, you see."

She laughed as she replied, "Yes, I suppose that is patience. You can come over, but you have to be almost silent. My mother may not be a vampire, but if her sheriff senses are tingling, I'm screwed. Come in through my window?"

"Your wish is my command. I'll see you in five… four…" Klaus said before hanging up the phone.

Three seconds later, her window was sliding up and the most dangerous being to ever walk the earth was smoothly climbing into the room.

"Gosh, how close to my house were you?" Caroline asked, genuinely surprised.

"Right out in your backyard. I'm surprised you didn't notice me. Well, I guess you were preoccupied by your… celebration," Klaus smirked.

"You saw that?" Caroline said, mortified.

"I did and found it humorous that you found my suggestions overly excited," Klaus replied as he walked over to her, taking her hands in his as he lifted her to stand.

"Can you pretend you never saw that? I might just die again of embarrassment," Caroline asked.

"Sorry, love, can't unsee what's been seen. Besides, it makes me fancy you more. You can be quite cute when you're excited," he smiled down at her.

Caroline unsuccessfully tried to hold back her smile as she said "fine" and draped her arms around his neck. They slowly swayed back and forth for a short while in silence before Caroline said, "I feel like I hardly know you. Like, I know you're like life story from when we hated you and stuff, but I don't know a lot of the little things. Like, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream? And did you ever go to college? And, if so, where? I mean, you must have some incredible stories!"

Klaus laughed and said, "Yes, I've seen some incredible things. Art, literature, and things of great beauty, but none of them compare to you. You are the single most amazing thing I've ever laid my eyes upon, and every story I've got would pale in comparison."

"You're very sweet, but I still need to know more about you. College? Ice Cream?"

"I did attend college a few times before there was so much competition to get into the Ivies and I felt as though I was taking away the spot of someone who worked so hard for it. My first experience was at Oxford, which was excellent. I also attended Yale and Harvard, only to learn very similar things, because I attended them so closely together. Then I decided I'd learned enough and that there was more interesting things to do. Oh, and my favorite ice cream is Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack, because it's kind of a mix of salty and sweet. Have you tried it?" Klaus asked.

"No, I haven't," Caroline replied with a smile. "I'll try it with you sometime."

They continued to sway for a while, quietly holding each other. Caroline, glancing at the clock, realized how late it was. She grabbed Klaus's hands and pulled him toward the bed. He smiled, but shook his head and said, "It's too soon. Trust me, I want to, but I want us to last. And in my many years of observation, I've learned waiting creates a better, longer-lasting relationship."

"I know. That wasn't what I was suggesting. Just come here," Caroline said with a smile.

Klaus laid on the bed and Caroline softly placed her head on his solid chest, rhythmically raising and lowering with his unnecessary breaths.

As Caroline laid there she began to think to herself. She never would have imagined life would have turned out this way. Well, becoming a vampire is pretty unpredictable, but this situation is was just as unlikely in her mind. She was so happy and there wasn't a definite end in the foreseeable future. They could lay like this forever if they wanted to. They were both completely at peace; Caroline could see it in Klaus's eyes and small smile. It was like she had found her missing puzzle piece, her other half of the bumper car token. She made him a better person and he gave her the opportunity to experience the beauty of the world. And with all the places she knew he planned on taking her, no place could be as perfect as her bed in this moment. Well, if they got married, she imagined her wedding day could rival this moment.

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><p>Klaus listened to Caroline's soft breaths as she appeared to be lost in thought. She was so beautiful with her shiny curls and smooth curves, neither of which could compare to the utter radiance of her face. He couldn't believe she was actually his. And he now had a new muse. Oh, the art that she would inspire! He couldn't wait for her beauty to be projected on the walls of the Louvre or the Guggenheim. She would be twice immortalized, as only she deserved to be.<p>

Reflecting back and reviewing his life, Klaus could not image a better time. Sure, the twenties were fun with Stefan, but Mikael was still hunting him and he was always on alert. Before he was a vampire, the world was just a more difficult place, and once he was, he rarely got to settle down in one spot. Sure, he loved his siblings and they could be fantastic company, but it couldn't be the same as what he had now. Right now, he felt as if he were in a state of eternal bliss. This was the first time in his entire existence that he felt truly, amazingly _happy_ and he'd do anything to make sure that feeling never went away.

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><p><strong>Okay, that's it! Horribly short but, I hope you liked it! I've started writing something new as well, but I want to develop it further before I post it. Thanks so much for reading this, it means a lot to me that people actually do! As usual, love you all and follow me on tumblr at ihidemycrazy if you're crazy about Klaroline. :)<strong>


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